Jamie Revell

That this is set in a world of anthropomorphic animals gives it a superficially cartoonish look, but the high-quality art and the adult nature of the story are anything but. The totalitarian world of the setting, where marriage is mandatory and love between different kinds of animal forbidden, has obvious parallels with the religious right and indeed, same-sex relationships are also banned, striking home the metaphor. The comic initially explores that setup but, as it progresses, things begin to get dangerous for our heroine and there's violence amongst the social commentary and flashes of erotic dreams. How much it will be able to keep that up remains to be seen, but it's a solid start. Readers should note that the comic contains partial nudity and sexual references.

This is a rather unusual comic. The basic plot is simple enough: a young woman from a primitive planet seeks vengeance for the death of her father and accompanies Supergirl on a journey across space to find the killer. But it's the way that it's written that makes it stand out. It's told entirely from Ruthvye's perspective, a woman hero-worshipping Supergirl and seeing her deeds from outside, and it's largely in first-person prose, written in a lyrical style that befits a fantasy tale more than science fiction.

This could, I acknowledge, be problematic for some readers; both the style and the extent of the prose could prove heavy-going. This is something that I usually find doesn't work well in comics, but, on this occasion I felt that it did, giving an otherworldly tone to the story and lifting it above the mundane. It's also quite dark in places, with more blood than I'd expect in a comic featuring this particular character. It leaps along, cutting out the detail of many of the events, even when the narrator experiences them directly, but does so in a way that manages to keep the focus on what matters, especially her growing relationship with Supergirl. And I have to say that the art is gorgeous, enhancing the ‘fantasy' vibe.

I haven't read the last two volumes, but, compared with Vol 1.... well, the art's a lot better, but we're going for something that's more straight-up comedy, which may, or may not, be to your taste. Certainly, there isn't much depth in this, and you have to be in the mood for crazy high-jinks, in what's essentially a spoof of Suicide Squad.

The story sees Harley forced to team up with other semi-reformed supervillains to deal with a menace at the JLA's abandoned moonbase. There's fun with space travel, a hostile alien that keeps making pop culture references and, of course, Harley's general craziness. The more serious side is supposed to be provided by Lucas Fox trying to decide what his legacy as Batwing really means and where he should go next with it... but that part doesn't work all that well, and feels a bit tacked on. But if you don't want any more than a crazy comedy playing with the tropes of Suicide Squad with some cheesy sci-fi elements thrown in, then this delivers what it's aiming to.

The third volume in this plot arc sees the protagonists no longer stranded, with the TARDIS able to travel to alien planets again – albeit with its full functionality yet to be restored. The previous volume, however, set up more than enough plot to keep this one going as the Doctor and companions seek to avert the dystopian (and ultimately apocalyptic) future timeline that two of the prior episodes were built around. It's relatively slow, and one of the stories is a little weak, but overall, it continues what's been another great 8th Doctor series.

Patience – The first story sees the Doctor and companions hiding out on three different, apparently abandoned, planets. Their pursuers do eventually turn up, but until then it's mostly a story of the interactions between the two pairs of companions, interspersed with the Doctor recounting a fairy tale. By the point that there is somebody else for them to talk to, however, it's already clear that all is not as it seems with the three threads of the story having more in common than initially seemed to be the case. The result is an odd mystery that has something of the feel of a ghost story without actually being one – and that eventually involves Judoon. While arguably nothing much happens for much for it, it's nonetheless an interesting story that also provides some character development that hints at upcoming changes. 4.5 stars.

Twisted Folklore – The theme of fairy tales and folklore continues in the second story. Here, the TARDIS has arrived on a world on the fringes of the Earth Empire where the human rulers are subjugating the indigenous inhabitants. It all ties in to the altered history created by events in the second volume and it becomes apparent early on that the Empire is, in part, using indoctrination through children's stories to achieve its aims. With the companions separated as they help out various parts of the resistance, and the whole thing beginning in media res for no particular reason, it's harder to get to grips with than the previous story, and is quite confusing in places. The details of the Empire's scheme and how the Doctor plans to stop don't make too much sense either, although, on the bright side, there are some strong moments for Liv and the alien voices are done better than is often the case - having a subtle but distinctive sibilance rather than using some electronic distort. 3 stars.

Snow – This is, in large part, a story about grief and abandonment. Sure, there's a mysterious phenomenon that acts as a metaphor for what some of the characters are feeling, but it's not the core of the tale. In addition to this, and almost feeling like a subplot, there are further revelations about how the alternate timeline came about, as we see the origins of the fascist state that was a setting for one of the stories in the previous volume. Unless you count the proto-fascists, however, there are no monsters in this one, which is focussed more on character and emotion albeit with a conclusion that's less maudlin than one might expect. 4.5 stars.

What Just Happened – 5 stars. Speaking of which, it ends (or rather, begins) on a cliffhanger. We know how it ends, but the mystery is in how we got there, which isn't fully revealed until the beginning as well as reflecting the story's wider themes about cause and effect. Some listeners may well find that (like this review) pretentious and confusing but, for me, it's cleverly written, with twists and turns that work in the opposite way to those in a regular story. But what's significant about it is that it's told in reverse, even to the extent of starting with the closing credits and ending with the opening theme music. The basis of it is straightforward, as the Doctor tracks down his nemesis and tries to prevent the destruction of the human race. As previously in this series, the best story is saved for last.

This is, in effect, a ghost story, albeit one clearly tied into the Torchwood mythos. It is set during WWII, down a coal mine where parts of the Torchwood Archive have been sent to protect them from the bombing in London. A young woman is sent to catalogue works from the British Museum and National Portrait Gallery stored down the same mine, and encounters Bilis Manger already there.

The story builds slowly, developing the protagonist's background, the mystery of Manger's presence, and the unpleasant nature of the army guards at the mine entrance. As things develop, it becomes clear that there is something else down the mine with them, hiding in the shadows just out of sight - something for which audio is well suited. Sexism and racism are themes in the background, leading to one disturbing scene that has nothing to do with the obvious ‘monster' and Manger himself is also a constant, unspoken threat.

It's another great Bilis Manger story, with a strong performance also coming from Rosie Baker as protagonist Jill Anderson, who grows as the story does. Given its nature, I'd recommend listening to it in the dark if you can...